Lionel Messi being good at football is nothing new. The Argentine is one of the greatest ever to play the game and every now and then it takes a real challenge to stretch him.

Take away a traditional football and replace with a golf ball, a tennis ball and even one of his own football boots and suddenly the Barcelona star will see his close control and keep-up ability thrust under the microscope.

In a video for Unisport, the 31-year-old showed no signs of struggle as he effortlessly manipulated the changing objects thrown his way in what became a series of 'levels' for him to complete.

Lionel Messi was given a keepy-up challenge as the Barcelona captain showed off his control

Objects began with a traditional football but he was soon doing the challenge with his boots

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Argentina legend Diego Maradona has dominated this challenge in his playing days and Messi was in no mood to be second best.

Level one is simple enough, completing 13 keepy-ups with a Champions League ball, as Messi continues to prepare for the visit of Lyon on Wednesday night.

Had the Argentine fallen at the first hurdle, serious questions would have been asked of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.

Next up came the orange tennis ball. Messi, a keen fan of the sport after joining Gerard Pique in his David Cup venture, took to it with ease, breezing through 16 keepy-ups and again, it was level-up.

Argentina legend Diego Maradona pulled off a similar keepy-up challenge in his playing days

Manipulating a golf ball and a tennis ball, Messi had to go to extreme lengths to beat that

The video was split up into four levels and the five-time Ballon d'Or winner flew through them

Messi came through the youth ranks at Barcelona in the famed La Masia academy, an environment which nurtured players' ability to have immaculate close control of the ball.

In between the challenges, Messi is quizzed on life at the academy and he revealed the training that helped him become so good at manipulating the ball.

'I came here when I was 13 years old and all the training was always about being close to the ball,' he said.

'Every exercise was based on having the ball in tight spaces, short games, ball possession, rondo.

'Everything was continuously based on keeping the ball.'

An orange tennis ball proved no match for Messi as he produced 16 keep-ups with some ease

Even a golf ball could not get the better of the Argentine as he showed off his close control

Messi, in the interview with Unisport, pinpoints the work he did growing up at Barca's academy

After levels one and two the challenges left involved a golf ball and one of his own boots in what really should be next to impossible to successfully pull off.

Not for Messi.

The Barcelona captain simply acted like he was still working with that first Champions League ball as he whizzed through the final two levels to the amazement of the Unisport team.

Barcelona will hope for similar wizardry from Messi at the Nou Camp on Wednesday with the last-16 tie with Lyon finely poised at 0-0 after the first leg.

No away goal in France keeps this tie alive for both but with Messi in fine form - and full of confidence after dominating his latest challenge - Barcelona will be confident in booking a quarter-final spot.

Finishing the challenge by using his boot instead of a ball, Messi showed he is one of the best

Barcelona will hope for similar Messi wizardry when Lyon come to town on Wednesday night